REALTOR Safety is an Important Issue
LOUISIANA REALTORS • September 15, 2017
Louisiana REALTORS® wants REALTORS® to keep safety top of mind on the job by increasing knowledge
about the dangers, awareness
of surroundings and situations, and empowerment
to be cautious and stay safe. REALTOR® Safety not only pertains to physical self, but to your client's properties and most recently identity theft and Internet security.
Resources recently shared:
Phishing Smishing - How to Not Fall Victim to Scams
Smishing
is a new term used to describe using text messages to trick mobile users into handing over personal data, financial information, or even cash. Because email service providers like Google or Yahoo continue to develop new ways to combat spam and phishing, text scams are becoming more prominent with hackers.
REALTORS® are especially prone to this type of scam because mobile phone numbers are published in multiple places and hackers have found a way to intercept the transaction to gather financial information. Earlier this month NAR issued a scam alert
where members reported receiving a message asking for payment of a fine or a notification telling the recipient they have won a prize.
Urgent Alert: Sophisticated Email Scams Targeting the Real Estate Industry
Criminals are hacking into the email accounts of real estate agents or other persons involved in a real estate transaction and using information gained from the hack to dupe a party into a fraudulent wire transfer. The hackers often send an email that appears to be from an individual legitimately involved in the transaction, informing the recipient, often the buyer, that there has been a last minute change to the wiring instructions. Following the new instructions, the recipient will wire funds directly to the hacker’s account, which will be cleared out in a matter of minutes. The money is almost always lost forever. <<Read more from NAR>>
Phishing scams: Don’t let your clients get caught on the hook
Phishing and wire fraud
continue to present the biggest threats real estate agents
and their clients will face in 2017. Hackers have discovered a soft spot for committing financial fraud, and agents and our transactions are the bull’s-eye. As professionals, we need to do everything in our power to stop and prevent a single loss of our client’s purchase or sale proceeds. <<Read More from Inman>>
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Learn how to lower your debt-to-income ratio before buying a home in Louisiana and why working with an experienced real estate agent can help.
NAR is pleased to share the latest new consumer guide, “Overcoming Roadblocks to a Sale or Purchase,” which helps buyers and sellers prepare for the most common potential pitfalls so their transaction closes smoothly. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow up to two weeks for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: Overcoming Roadblocks to a Sale or Purchase How Solar Impacts a Real Estate Transaction Navigating Interest Rate Shifts Financing a Renovation When You Buy Staging Your House for a Sale Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with prospective clients to ensure they have the information they need to find success in their home buying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. On June 3, we’ll have a new consumer guide on unpacking after a move and a refreshed guide in the value of MLS.
Louisiana REALTORS® remained deeply engaged during Week 11 of the 2026 Regular Session as several priority bills moved into the final stretch of the session. With adjournment approaching, the focus has shifted from early-stage committee positioning to Senate floor votes, conference committee negotiations, and final action at the Governor’s desk. This week, the biggest development was HB 468 by Rep. Troy Hebert moving into conference committee after the House rejected Senate amendments by a 91-0 vote on May 20. At the same time, HB 1027 and HB 292 remain positioned for the Governor’s signature, HB 1166 and HB 1187 moved into Senate floor posture, and Louisiana REALTORS® continued defensive work on HB 617 and HB 750 to keep real estate, property management, and nonprofit activity from being swept into overly broad consumer-protection language. The most immediate priority now is HB 468 , the residential wholesaling bill, which remains the last major Louisiana REALTORS® package bill in active negotiation. The bill passed both chambers unanimously on the underlying policy, including House final passage 96-0 and Senate final passage 34-0 , but differences in amendment language still have to be resolved before adjournment. The House's rejection of Senate amendments did not kill the bill; it simply sent it to a conference committee, where conferees must now reconcile the two versions. This remains a critical measure for the industry because it brings greater transparency and accountability to residential wholesaling, strengthens consumer protections, and gives the Louisiana Real Estate Commission enforcement authority over the new framework. Another major win for the industry is HB 1027 , also by Rep. Troy Hebert , which has now completed the legislative process and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. The bill passed the House 90-0 , passed the Senate 35-0 , and was sent to the Governor on May 14. This measure provides important liability protections for real estate appraisers in certain circumstances and represents a strong legislative win for transaction certainty, appraisal professionalism, and fairness in the marketplace. On disclosure and property management issues, HB 1166 by Rep. Kim Carver remains one of the most important real estate bills still moving. The bill, which requires disclosures for vacant residential property, cleared the Legislative Bureau without amendment and was scheduled for final passage in the Senate on May 21. If passed by the Senate without amendment, it can go directly to the Governor. This bill remains important because it closes an existing gap in Louisiana law regarding vacant residential properties and should help reduce late-stage surprises related to condition issues, access problems, utility status, and other material facts that can derail transactions. HB 292 by Rep. Delisha Boyd , dealing with the return of security deposits, is already at the Governor’s desk and remains another meaningful property-management bill nearing final enactment. Insurance remained front and center in Week 11 as well. HB 1187 by Rep. Paul Sawyer , dealing with Louisiana Citizens for emergency assessments, cleared the Senate Legislative Bureau and was scheduled for Senate final passage on May 21. HB 759 by Rep. Gabe Firment , relating to fortified roof endorsement offers, was also in Senate floor posture. These measures continue to matter because insurance affordability, mitigation incentives, and policy stability remain central to homeownership, transaction viability, and broader housing-market confidence across Louisiana. Other insurance-related bills, including HB 408 on nonrenewal protections for homeowners who timely mitigate risks and HB 1210 on pre-suit claim review for residential property insurance, remain low-movement items but remain relevant to the broader insurance affordability discussion. Week 11 also required continued defensive work by Louisiana REALTORS®. HB 750 , dealing with automatic renewal subscriptions, remained on the Senate floor subject to call, and HB 617 , dealing with hidden fees, remained in a posture requiring close monitoring. Louisiana REALTORS® has worked to prevent both bills from being interpreted or applied in ways that would improperly include leases, property management agreements, association activity, nonprofit operations, or real estate professionals within frameworks that do not fit the realities of housing and real estate transactions. On HB 617 , the concern remains that broad fee-disclosure language can unfairly place liability on real estate professionals for charges they do not control, including fees set by lenders, title companies, insurers, government entities, or other third parties. However, our governmental affairs team successfully negotiated an amendment on the House side that exempted real estate transactions from this legislation. The bill died in the Senate Commerce Committee this week. On HB 750 , another bill that includes an exempting clause for real estate and property managers, the concern is that broad automatic-renewal language could bleed into leases, property management, and nonprofit or association activities if not carefully limited. This defensive block-and-tackle work has mattered because late-session consumer bills can create real unintended consequences if left unchecked. Broader property rights, housing, and tort reform bills also continued moving. HB 214 and HB 217 , both dealing with tax exemptions for rehabilitated blighted or derelict property, advanced through the Senate and remain part of the broader redevelopment and neighborhood revitalization conversation. HB 472 , the rent stabilization bill, remains stopped after being involuntarily deferred earlier in the session, but it stays on the watch list for any attempt to revive similar language through another vehicle before adjournment. On the civil justice side, HB 437 on expert witness fees and HB 1089 on CARE Accounts remain active and relevant to the broader insurance-cost and litigation environment affecting property owners and small businesses. Additional housing-related bills, including HB 297 on early lease termination for stalking and cyberstalking victims and HB 300 on appraisal thresholds for bank-owned property, are also near the finish line and remain part of the broader policy picture. The bottom line for Week 11 is straightforward: the session is now in its final stretch, and several Louisiana REALTORS® priorities are either on the Governor’s desk, on the Senate floor, or in late-stage negotiations. HB 468 is now the top late-session advocacy priority because it must emerge from the conference committee and receive final approval from both chambers before adjournment. At the same time, HB 1166 , HB 1187 , and HB 759 were all in Senate floor posture, while HB 1027 , HB 292 , HB 297 , and HB 300 remain in executive-approval posture. Louisiana REALTORS® will remain ready for fast movement, late-session amendment strategy, and defensive monitoring through final adjournment, especially on bills affecting real estate transactions, insurance affordability, property management, private property rights, and housing supply across Louisiana. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
